Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Millersville was under attack.
They’d left the Norwood ranch on schedule and driven for a few hours before Cody let out an abrupt exclamation. “Captain, hostiles making a run on the town’s main barricade.”
“Pull over,” Jeff directed Zach. “Show us.”
Cody projected his drone’s holo feed into the well of the APC and after one horrified glance, Tamsyn closed her eyes and swallowed bile.
There was a full scale attack going on, with men in pickup trucks firing their heavy weapons at the defenders on the hastily built walls and launching explosives into the town behind.
A man fell off the wall, cut nearly in half by blaster fire as one of the trucks swerved violently and blew up as a marksman on the wall targeted their engine.
It wasn’t an exciting entertainment holo where all the actors would rise to their feet as soon as the director called ‘cut’.
This was real and ugly and people were dying.
She couldn’t comprehend how in this time of the infected apocalypse, humans could be killing each other instead of fighting the common enemy.
There was a military discussion going on around her, which she ignored but gathered they were going to intervene.
“Going from bad to worse,” Cody announced grimly. “The sound is attracting groups of infected. They’ll combine into a swarm and then everyone’s in trouble.”
“All right, I’ve seen enough.” Jeff’s voice was hard.
“We’ll ride in with everything we have blazing and take out as many of Ruger’s people as we can.
I want you to launch your new toy and drop the bombs on his camp as well.
Maybe those prisoners we saw can engineer an escape in the chaos.
I want Ruger to be totally off balance.”
“Drone going aloft now, sir,” Cody said.
“Ladies, Mike, I want the three of you and the dog seated together in the rear,” Jeff said. “Nothing I’ve seen out there can penetrate our hull but the ride is going to be rough and ugly and you don’t need to see the details. Please move to your new seats now.”
Hastily Tamsyn joined the doctor and her brother, with Buddy lying on the floor between them.
“Hang on,” Jeff shouted.
She heard him issuing the order to move out to Zach and Ryan over the subaural com and the hair on her arms stood on end as the weapons system in the APC charged up.
The vehicle began to move, faster and faster until she thought they could be flying.
Certainly they’d never gone this fast before.
Tamsyn had no idea how far it was to Millersville but all too soon the APC rocked and shuddered as the megablaster on the roof unleashed its hellfire and the other weapons on board started firing.
Mike was hanging on to Buddy for dear life and she and Melly held hands as the APC rocked and veered and the sound of the megacannon and the other weapons the APC possessed became deafening. She knew Jeff was controlling a number of automatic guns with the AI.
A tactical holo glowed in the well of the APC, showing the walls and the enemy in blinking red outlines, with the APC’s depicted as stark blazing white dots moving across the battlefield.
She watched it from time to time, since the details weren’t graphic.
At first Ruger’s forces were taken totally by surprise, pinched between the town’s defenders and the oncoming relief force, them.
A number of the pickup trucks exploded as they were hit by the APC’s fire.
The drivers of the remaining trucks tried to circle the two APC’s, possibly thinking they could surround and damage the military vehicles but they soon gave up the idea.
Tamsyn heard the thunk of hits on the APC’s hull, which was protected in combat by a thin force shield and there was no effect.
She speculated as to what kind of horrific weapon it would take to disable an APC and decided she didn’t want to know.
Bombs dropped on the camp, Cody reported via the subaural com. Ruger’s people in panicked disarray.
Taking another glance at the combat holo display, she was relieved to find the enemy retreating in a disorganized rush to get away, trucks going in all directions. Blasts from the APC caught the stragglers.
Do not pursue, Jeff ordered over the subaural link. We’ve done severe damage to his forces and driven the vultures off for today. Status on the swarm?
Still approaching, gathering strength. About three klicks away.
The APC slewed around and Tamsyn realized they were racing to confront the swarm.
The megablaster fired again and as the perspective on the combat holo shifted, she saw the front ranks of the swarm falling as the beam swept across their ranks.
She knew from the past discussions even the mighty APC’s couldn’t deter a full blown swarm attack so she was puzzled but then a beam from one of the other weapons set an abandoned fuel truck on the highway ablaze.
The fire spread rapidly across the freeway behind them as whatever type of fuel the truck had carried spread, engulfing the horde and creating a temporary barrier of flame.
“This is Captain Jeff Pearson, Sectors Special Forces, requesting permission to enter the town,” Jeff said out loud, over the general comlink.
“Come on in and welcome, stranger,” said a voice full of enthusiasm. “We’ll open the gate in thirty seconds. Make it fast.”
“Will do. I want to speak to the mayor as soon as the gate is secure,” Jeff responded.
“He’ll be there. Millersville out.”
The vidscreens were active again now and Tamsyn watched as a portion of the barricade began to move aside.
Zach aimed the APC at the opening and rumbled through, barely clearing the reinforced walls.
She checked the rearview vid and APC2 was right on their bumper as usual.
The street was barricaded again a little further ahead but they were waved into a side street, where Zach stopped and parked.
Jeff addressed them all. “I’m going out, with Cody on my six.
The rest of you will stay safe inside, no matter what happens until I give the order to deploy, if I do.
I’m going to talk to this guy and make it clear we’re only passing through but want to stay overnight at least, and I want information. They owe us now.”
“I need to get out there,” Melly said in a strained, urgent voice. “There must be so many wounded—”
“I’ll discuss the possibility with the mayor as well but I’m not risking your safety.” Jeff’s jaw was clenched and he was in full military mode. “All right, this must be the mayor arriving now. Cody, you have my six.”
Cody squeezed Tamsyn’s shoulder as he passed to step up behind the captain.
Together the two men exited the APC, going halfway to meet the man who’d just arrived in a beatup groundcar, flanked by bodyguards.
Cody kept his weapon at the ready, poised to go into action if there was any threat to Jeff.
The captain slung his pulse rifle and waited for the mayor to exit the vehicle.
Cody studied the face of the man who emerged.
He was haggard and tired looking, probably ten years younger than his face would indicate, worn by the cares of trying to hold an oasis of civilization in a world full of rampaging infected and human predators like Ruger.
Cody wondered briefly how he’d do if he had to run a town full of civilians who presumably had no training and no concept of military discipline under similar circumstances. Probably not too well.
“Derek Wyler, mayor of Millersville,” the man said in a raspy voice, extending his hand. “You sure arrived at an opportune moment, captain.”
“Jeff Pearson,” Cody’s commander said as he shook the offered hand. “Glad we could help out.”
“The government—somewhere—still has units to deploy then?” Derek asked hopefully. “Or wait, you said on the com you were a Sectors unit. Have they come to help?”
Cody had seen Jeff do this countless times on their many missions, talk to a local chieftain or authority, gain their trust, seem open and ready to help on the surface while giving away as few details as possible about their mission.
“Sorry to disappoint you but neither assumption is correct,” Jeff said now.
“We’re a small unit, sent in for a different mission before the Western flu hit. ”
“But you’ll stay?” Derek asked, eyes narrowed. “We can use the help. Ruger will be back and there’s an infected swarm—”
“We’ll hunker down here for a day or two,” Jeff said, cutting off the list of threats to the good citizens of Millersville. “Help out where we can while we’re here. I’m on my way to Glastine and then points north. Can’t say more than that.”
The mayor wasn’t pleased and he eyed the APC’s speculatively.
Cody’s finger tightened on the trigger, ready for the meeting to go south, glad Tamsyn and the others were safe inside the APC.
Even if he and the captain were killed or captured, Zach would take over as next in command and rain holy hell down on the city.
“I could order you to stay,, impound the vehicles—” he said.
“You could try,” Jeff agreed with as tight smile.
The megacannon on top of APC2 swiveled to point at the group.
“Not a good idea. Let’s do our best to work together while my team and I are here.
We’ve bought you time with both Ruger and the infected.
All we want in return is safe passage through Millersville and an exchange of information. ”
Eyebrows drawn together in a frown, Derek said, “What kind of information?”
“Let’s get into the specifics later,” Jeff replied. “Right now I believe you have an urgent medical situation with the wounded from your battle.”
“We have a few paramedics, an EMT, several nurses and well meaning volunteers,” Derek told them. “It’s better than nothing but not by much.”
“I have a doctor and a combat medic on my team,” Jeff said. “I’ll be happy to lend you their services while we’re here.”